Image credit: MOEUAEofficial/X account
The UAE Ministry of Education has announced a landmark move to institutionalise the daily noon prayer across all government schools in the country. In a statement shared on its official X account, the ministry confirmed that time will now be allocated each day for students to perform the noon prayer in congregation.
“The school is a home for values just as it is for knowledge,” the ministry said in its post. A video released alongside the announcement showed students giving the call to prayer and performing the noon prayer together in specially prepared halls. The footage also captured students arranging the prayer spaces and expressing enthusiasm for the initiative.
المدرسة بيت للقيم كما هي للعلم، ومن هنا خصصنا وقتاً لأداء صلاة الظهر جماعة كل يوم في جميع المدارس الحكومية.#وزارة_التربية_والتعليم pic.twitter.com/BLReDqJv4Z
— وزارة التربية والتعليم (@MOEUAEofficial) September 19, 2025
Mandatory curriculum guidelines for private kindergartens
In a parallel effort to embed national values early in a child’s educational journey, the ministry also announced in June 2025 the approval of mandatory guidelines for teaching Arabic language, Islamic Studies, and Social Studies at the kindergarten level in all private schools across the UAE.
These new guidelines will take effect starting from the 2025/2026 academic year and will be applicable to private institutions offering all approved curricula.
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According to the Ministry, this initiative is designed to cultivate a generation that is proud of its national identity, proficient in Arabic, and grounded in Emirati values. “This move is aligned with the Ministry’s vision of enhancing national identity by supporting the teaching of Arabic, Islamic Studies, and Social Studies from the foundational years,” the Ministry stated in a report published by the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Daily Arabic lessons and play-based social education
As part of the implementation, Arabic language lessons will be taught daily to all kindergarten students. Initially, this will be for 200 minutes weekly (40 minutes per day), increasing to 300 minutes weekly (60 minutes per day) by the 2027/2028 academic year. The curriculum will be delivered by qualified early childhood educators using age-appropriate, ministry-approved resources. This will apply to both native and non-native Arabic speakers.
Islamic Studies will be made mandatory for all Muslim kindergarten students in private schools, with 90 minutes of instruction each week. Schools may choose to offer this content in three 30-minute sessions or two 45-minute sessions.
To support the rollout, the ministry will provide instructional frameworks and clearly defined learning outcomes for each subject. Additionally, advisory visits to schools will begin in the 2025/2026 academic year, followed by regular inspections from 2026/2027 onward to ensure compliance.
Private schools will also be required to integrate key national themes, including family, UAE geography, environmental awareness, and social values, into the daily kindergarten routine. These concepts will be taught using a simplified, play-based learning approach, both inside and outside the classroom.
The Ministry emphasised that these reforms are part of a broader strategy to embed national identity from the earliest stages of education and to ensure consistency across the UAE’s diverse private education landscape.
